Info in Movie News | Netflix is bringing a fresh take on Korea’s movie history with its upcoming drama Aema, set to premiere on August 22. Unlike the typical period drama, Aema dives deep into the heated, glamorous, and gritty world of Chungmuro, the center of Korean cinema in the 1980s. To a certain extent the series is based on the behind-the-scenes madness of Madame Aema, which was the first major adult movie franchise in South Korea. The show never tries to hide that it deals with the issues of power, gender, and ambition in the entertainment industry.
According to Soompi, Aema is a fictional comedy-drama which follows two opposing women, the first one is Jeong Hee Ran (Lee Ha Nee), a famous actress in the prime of her career and the other is Shin Ju Ae (Bang Hyo Rin), a novice who is unexpectedly brought to the fore. The coming of the two women together, the making of Madame Aema, their fight over getting a new job and being a part of the movie business that is going to change quickly, all of these are the elements of the story.
Lee Ha Nee’s character, Jeong Hee Ran, is an award-winning star who refuses to accept the role of Aema due to its provocative nature. She’s elegant, commanding, and principled, but bound by an exclusive contract, she's forced to stay in the project, demoted to a supporting role named Erica. Lee described Hee Ran as “a woman of elegance and unshakable presence,” noting how she aimed to portray her inner strength through subtlety and stillness.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is Bang Hyo Rin's Shin Ju Ae, a total nobody with no acting experience who was chosen by a public audition to be the movie's main character. The character is depicted as a confident, ambitious, and intentioned woman who is ready to grab her opportunity even if it is by going along with the controversial character of Aema. Bang described Ju Ae as someone “confident and full of strong convictions,” hinting that her transformation will be both physical and emotional.
The drama additionally has Jin Sun Kyu playing the role of Goo Joong Ho, the money-loving leader of Shinsung Movie. He is a veteran in the business who cannot get box office figures out of his mind and consequently has no time for art. According to Jin, Joong Ho “loves movies, but sees them primarily as business.”
Completing the core cast is Cho Hyun Chul, who plays rookie director Kwak In Woo. In Woo is passionate, inexperienced, and desperate to prove himself with his first feature. He is a guy who is stuck in the middle of his creativity and the economic side of the industry, because of which his journey has become a story of self-questioning and the burden of being under pressure.
The released teaser and poster are showing us a story that is full of rivalry, power games, and insurgency. From Hee Ran's firm and determined decision to not take any questionable roles, to Ju Ae's unexpected glimmering fame, the series seems to aim at the way women in the industry go through the male-dominated system. The phrase “1981, a time to bare it all and sock it to the man” perfectly fits the rebellious mood of the series.
Aema's big selling point is its compelling visual authenticity. The crew went so far as to create not just clothes, hairdos, and scenery of that time but also theater marquees that matched the period to bring the audience directly to 1980s Seoul.
By the way, the original Madame Aema that came out in 1982 was a cultural sensation. It challenged the existing norms in Korean cinema and became the longest-running adult movie franchise in the country. With Aema, Netflix is neither driven by scandal nor it is a mere historical recount but a character-driven drama of the art, fame, and the complex roles women were expected to play, both on and off camera.
If you want to see a drama with a powerful acting performance, complex characters, and a deep and funny interpretation of fame and power, then, for sure, Aema has to be on your watchlist this August.
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